It was another beautiful Sunday in Hawaii, and yet within just a few hours, devastation and chaos would set events in motion that would change thousands of lives forever...Young men, most in their late teens or early twenties, didn't hesitate or plot an escape but proudly and without coaxing signed up to serve - the lines to enlist were long and silent. Within a few short months, many would be dead or missing; many others would be physically or emotionally disabled. Thousands of families would be torn apart by grief and all who had loved ones serving were gripped by the fear of possible loss. The innocence of high school & college days quickly vanished into days filled with responsibilities too weighty for those who were expected to carry them. And yet, there was no whining or protesting. Sacrifice was accepted as the appropriate payment for the continued gift of the freedoms America had come to know. They served without hope of attaining individual glory, but believing that America's way of life was worthy of their lives if it was needed. Not one came home unchanged. Those fortunate enough to return physically unscathed still carried the images and memories of war. Though women were often protected from the details, all who served had a brotherhood and bond with all others. Sometimes, there were funny stories that could be exchanged but there was always a seriousness underlying it that was never taken lightly. It was not just a day of infamy, but a half-decade. And as we look back, the victory that we as Americans eventually obtained was not always certain. Without the hand of God, the determination of men, and the fierce belief in the rightness of the cause, all could have been lost. No one who served or lived through those days takes our freedoms for granted. Men, women, & children all paid different prices, but paid dearly.
And now here we are...devastation and chaos reign in America again but of a different type. We have a crisis of economic failure which has been combined with global fears of terrorism and a vacuum in leadership. Wars on many fronts are being waged - between banks and their customers, between companies and their employees, between citizens and their government. Instead of these things bringing us into a unified fighting machine, we devour each other in greed & fear. Our country is split into factions: the haves and have-nots, the right & the left, the "tolerant" and the bigots, the young and the old. Pride has been replaced with skepticism and patriotism looks back to "the good old days". Families are splintered, children lack parenting, authority of all types is ridiculed, and Biblical values are considered old-fashioned.
We are certainly headed toward the cliff of complacency. America needs to wake up and retrace its steps back to God. His plan for us, as a country and as individuals, is the only one that will bring us the results we are desperately seeking. We need to regroup from our losses, revisit our successes, and rekindle the pride in America and love for each other and for God that will give us something worth living, and if necessary, dying for. We need to honor those who have sacrificed and served by living our best life - not one of compromise and complaining. We need to look outward rather than continuing to focus on ourselves. Only then will we discover that giving is the prerequisite to receiving and that knowing God through a study of His Word is the only path to peace of mind, heart, and spirit. As we do this, we will also find that our only hope for victory in this hour is surrender - surrender of both our gifts and our failings to our Creator who can use them for His glory & designed plan, surrender of our hearts to the One who loved us enough to die for us, and surrender of our lives to the One who can orchestrate each day to fit perfectly into the pattern of His will. Only then can we hope for God's continued blessing of America!
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